Butterflies and Moths
Order Lepidoptera
The Butterflies and Moths (Order Lepidoptera) includes 11,813 species across 112 families and 2,787 genera in our directory.
About Butterflies and Moths
Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.
Economic Impact
Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.
Ecological Role
Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.
Families in Lepidoptera (112)
Species in Lepidoptera (11,813)
Scallop Moth
Cepphis armataria
Scalloped Sack-bearer Moth
Lacosoma chiridota
Scalloped Sallow Moth
Eucirroedia pampina
Scarce Infant - Hodges#6257
Leucobrephos brephoides
Scarce Spear-wing
Tinagma balteolella
Scarlet Underwing - Hodges#8851
Catocala coccinata
Scarlet-bodied Wasp Moth
Cosmosoma myrodora
Scarlet-winged Lichen Moth
Hypoprepia miniata
Scelidacantha angelicata - Hodges#7632
Scelidacantha angelicata
Scelidacantha triseriata - Hodges#7634
Scelidacantha triseriata
Schaus' Swallowtail - Hodges#4171
Papilio aristodemus
Schaus' Tussock Moth - Hodges#8205.1
Halysidota schausi
Schinia aetheria - Hodges#11088.1
Schinia aetheria
Schinia albafascia - Hodges#11181
Schinia albafascia
Schinia angulilinea - Hodges#11133.1
Schinia angulilinea
Schinia antonio - Hodges#11093
Schinia antonio
Schinia argentifascia - Hodges#11180
Schinia argentifascia
Schinia aurantiaca - Hodges#11089
Schinia aurantiaca
Schinia bicuspida - Hodges#11122
Schinia bicuspida
Schinia bimatris - Hodges#11201
Schinia bimatris
Schinia buta - Hodges#11146
Schinia buta
Schinia carmosina - Hodges#11173.1
Schinia carmosina
Schinia ciliata - Hodges#11200
Schinia ciliata
Schinia coercita - Hodges#11187
Schinia coercita
Schinia cumatilis - Hodges#11192
Schinia cumatilis
Schinia cupes - Hodges#11134
Schinia cupes
Schinia diffusa - Hodges#11183
Schinia diffusa
Schinia dobla - Hodges#11101
Schinia dobla
Schinia edwardsii - Hodges#11133
Schinia edwardsii
Schinia erosa - Hodges#11182.1
Schinia erosa
Schinia ferrisi - Hodges#11181.1
Schinia ferrisi
Schinia fulleri - Hodges#11107
Schinia fulleri
Schinia graefiana - Hodges#11086
Schinia graefiana
Schinia illustra - Hodges#11170
Schinia illustra
Schinia immaculata - Hodges#11157.1
Schinia immaculata
Schinia intermontana - Hodges#11083.2
Schinia intermontana
Schinia jaegeri - Hodges#11161
Schinia jaegeri
Schinia maculata - Hodges#11188.1
Schinia maculata
Schinia mcfarlandi - Hodges#11204.2
Schinia mcfarlandi
Schinia niveicosta - Hodges#11167
Schinia niveicosta
Schinia nr-jaguarina - Hodges#11132.01
Schinia nr-jaguarina
Schinia obliqua - Hodges#11196
Schinia obliqua
Schinia obscurata - Hodges#11118
Schinia obscurata
Schinia oleagina - Hodges#11148
Schinia oleagina
Schinia perminuta - Hodges#11091
Schinia perminuta
Schinia pulchripennis - Hodges#11097
Schinia pulchripennis
Schinia regia - Hodges#11166
Schinia regia
Schinia reniformis - Hodges#11195
Schinia reniformis
Schinia sanrafaeli - Hodges#11107.1
Schinia sanrafaeli
Schinia scarletina - Hodges#11096
Schinia scarletina
Schinia simplex - Hodges#11162
Schinia simplex
Schinia tobia - Hodges#11152
Schinia tobia
Schinia vacciniae - Hodges#11087
Schinia vacciniae
Schinia varix - Hodges#11115.1
Schinia varix
Schinia verna - Hodges#11102.1
Schinia verna
Schinia walsinghami - Hodges#11184
Schinia walsinghami
Schizura matheri - Hodges#8005.2
Schizura matheri
Schizura obligata - Hodges#8005.1
Schizura obligata
Schlaeger's Fruitworm Moth
Antaeotricha schlaegeri
Schreckensteinia erythriella - Hodges#2507
Schreckensteinia erythriella
Sciota bifasciella - Hodges#5801
Sciota bifasciella
Sciota dammersi - Hodges#5793
Sciota dammersi
Sciota delassalis
Sciota delassalis
Sciota fernaldi - Hodges#5792
Sciota fernaldi
Sciota gilvibasella - Hodges#5805
Sciota gilvibasella
Sciota inconditella - Hodges#5795
Sciota inconditella
Sciota levigatella - Hodges#5800.1
Sciota levigatella
Sciota rubescentella - Hodges#5791
Sciota rubescentella
Sciota rubrisparsella - Hodges#5804
Sciota rubrisparsella
Sciota vetustella - Hodges#5794
Sciota vetustella
Scodes deflecta - Hodges#2276
Scodes deflecta
Scolecocampa atriluna - Hodges#8515
Scolecocampa atriluna
Scoparia apachealis - Hodges#4713
Scoparia apachealis
Scoparia blanchardi - Hodges#4715
Scoparia blanchardi
Scoparia cinereomedia - Hodges#4718
Scoparia cinereomedia
Scoparia dominicki - Hodges#4720
Scoparia dominicki
Scoparia normalis - Hodges#4710
Scoparia normalis
Scoparia palloralis - Hodges#4711
Scoparia palloralis
Scoparia rigidalis - Hodges#4708
Scoparia rigidalis
Scopula apparitaria - Hodges#7153
Scopula apparitaria
Scopula fuscata - Hodges#7163
Scopula fuscata
Scopula luteolata - Hodges#7170
Scopula luteolata
Scopula plantagenaria - Hodges#7154
Scopula plantagenaria
Scopula siccata - Hodges#7167
Scopula siccata
Scorpionweed Plume Moth - Hodges#6170
Oidaematophorus phaceliae
Scotch broom twig miner - Hodges#0482
Leucoptera spartifoliella
Scotogramma deffessa - Hodges#10251
Scotogramma deffessa
Scotogramma densa - Hodges#10240
Scotogramma densa
Scotogramma gatei - Hodges#10249
Scotogramma gatei
Scotogramma harnardi - Hodges#10242
Scotogramma harnardi
Scotogramma orida - Hodges#10248
Scotogramma orida
Scotogramma ptilodonta - Hodges#10244
Scotogramma ptilodonta
Scotogramma yakima - Hodges#10247
Scotogramma yakima
Scripted Arches - Hodges#10272
Mamestra curialis
Scrobipalpa atriplicella - Hodges#2025
Scrobipalpa atriplicella
Scrobipalpa macromaculata - Hodges#2027
Scrobipalpa macromaculata
Scrobipalpa scutellariaeella - Hodges#2030
Scrobipalpa scutellariaeella
Scrobipalpula artemisiella - Hodges#2012
Scrobipalpula artemisiella
Scrobipalpula manierreorum - Hodges#2017.2
Scrobipalpula manierreorum
Scrobipalpuloides spinosa - Hodges#2013.5
Scrobipalpuloides spinosa